brown



JOHN L. BROWN, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND CHAS. LEARNED.

LATE-MACHINE.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, J. L. BROWN, of Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Lath-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawing, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a top view of the machine, Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line w au Fig. 8 is a vertical section on line y y.

Similar characters of reference in the several figures denote the same part of the machine.

The character of lath machine to which my invention refers, is that in which the lath is cut by a reciprocating knife; the improvement consisting in rendering the machine self feeding by a construction which utilizes the gravity of the plank for that purpose; and self gaging, by a rest reciprocating with the knife frame, and supporting the plank until it is engaged by the knife, the details of construction and operation being as follows.

In the drawing A is the frame of the machine, on the guides a of which reciprocates the knife frame B, by the action of eccentrics C upon the port-ion Z) of the knife frame; power being applied through pulley D to the driving shaft E. yEach extremity of the knife frame B is provided with two knives f f', secured to the said frame by screws c, and capable of adjustment by screws (Z. Upon the upper portion of the frame A are guide frames F, each consisting of two grooved standards e and a slotted bed g,- the grooves and slo-t being of dimensions sufficient to permit the passage of a plank from which the latter are cut. rIhe guide frames are so placed as to have the position relative to the knives shown in Fig. 2, when the centers of the main shaft and eccentrics are in the same vertical line.

Secured to the under surface of t-he knife frame B are bars z' extending across the frame, each bar having uprights m, and

14,126, dated January 15, 1856.

so attached as to have the position shown in Fig. 2 when the grooves of the guide frame are over the space between the cutting edges of the knives, so as to arrest the downward progress of the plank p. These rests are capable of vertical adjustment by means of the screws fn..

The operation of the machine is as follows: The rests m being adjusted to the desired thickness of lath, a plank is placed in each of the vertical guide frames F, which will descend until they reach the rests as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Power is then applied to the main shaft E, giving motion to the knife frame, and causing each knife f at the respective ends of the machine, to engage the plank 29, and passing through it, separate a lath therefrom. The rest m moving with the knife frame passes from beneath the plank by the time the cutting of the lath is completed, suffering it to fall to the ground. The plank is now held upon the upper face of knife f, which, when the opposite movement of frame B takes place, slips from under the plank, at the time the rest m again reaches the position shown in Fig. 2. The plank then falls upon the rest as in that ligure, an instant before the knife f engages it and separates another lath; the rest passing away in direction of the motion to permit the lath to fall. In this manner the operation continues until the planks p are entirely cut up into laths; `the machine feeding itself by the gravity of the material operated upon.

Disclaiming reciprocating knives for cutting laths without regard to number, and direction of movement, I claim as new and of my own invention- The vertical guide frame F, in combination with the adjustable, reciprocating rest m, constructed, arranged, and Operating, substantially as, and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name before two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN L. BROWN. Vitnesses:

WM. F. STETSON, G. N. BIGELOW. 

